A2 Sociology Theory and Methods Modernism & PostmodernismModernismThe main views of modernity and modernist views include: Industrialisation and the manufacture of goods for a mass market Work and social class as the main forms of social division and social identity, and both culture and politics are socialclass related Independent nation states, national economies and national identities Oneway mass media more or less reflecting social reality A belief in rational thought and science as a means of improving the world A view that sociological theory and research can provide insight into and explanations of the social world, and could be used to improve itPostmodernismChaos, uncertainty and collapse of social structure Postmodernism stresses the chaos and uncertainty in society It argues that social structures like the nationstate, the family and social class are breaking down Postmodernists argue that it is nonsense to talk of an institution called the family, for example, as people now live in such a wide range of everchanging personal relationships Gay and lesbian couples, cohabiting heterosexual couples who do not marry, multiple partners, high rates of divorce and remarriage, lone parents, stepparents and stepchildren, dual income families with both partners working, people living alone, people living in shared households with friends, couples who have differing arguments for organising household tasks: all m mean that any notion of the `typical family' or `the family as an institution' is absurd.Globalisation Supranational bodies (e.g. EU and the UN), interconnected economies, multinational and TNCs and global cultures are displacing national states and national identities Postmodernists see national cultures and identities dissolving, as globalisation means the same product brands and designers labels are found in many countries of the world o E.g. Coca cola, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Nike, McDonalds, KFCMetanarratives and the `myth of truth' Chris Cartwright

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A2 Sociology Theory and MethodsLyotard (1984) Described postmodernism as `an incredulity towards metanarratives' and argued that people no longer believed in the `myth of truth' Because society is now changing so constantly and so rapidly, societies can no longer be understood through the application of general theories or metanarratives Metanarratives are `big' theories like Marxism or Functionalism, which seek to explain society as a whole, but these no longer apply, according to postmodernists, because society has become fragmented into so many different groups, interests…read more

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A2 Sociology Theory and Methods o Laser technology and video reportage have eliminated the blood, the suffering and the corpses from war, and the TV news presents a sanitised version of conflicts o Consequently, wars become mediaconstructed spectacles, which have such an air of unreality about them that we are unable to distinguish them from Hollywood movies or video games Baudrillard calls this distorted view of the world hyperreality The view is actually created and defined by the media, and the image becomes more real…read more

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A2 Sociology Theory and MethodsYou are what you buyBauman (1996) Argues that life in postmodern society resembles a shopping mall: o People can stroll around consuming whatever they like, o They can try out and construct whatever identities they choose o And they can change them whenever they want In this postmodern `pick `'n' mix' consumer society, the influences of class, gender and ethnicity are no longer so relevant People can become whatever they want to be They can adopt lifestyles and identities…read more

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A2 Sociology Theory and Methods People are having to think about and reflect on the circumstances in which they live their lives In late modernity, reflexivity for individuals focuses on personal freedom and fulfilment as people establish goals for what Giddens calls their `life projects' This social reflexivity means that people and institutions can act to change and improve the world, which is part of the modernist eraHarvey (1990) Suggests that many of the changes claimed by postmodernists to be evidence of postmodernity can…read more